


Of Souls and Songbirds

by Anita_Magia



Category: Naruto
Genre: Alternate Universe - Fantasy, Familiars, Gen, Magic, Witches
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-01
Updated: 2020-07-01
Packaged: 2021-03-04 20:14:17
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,018
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25022227
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Anita_Magia/pseuds/Anita_Magia
Summary: Tenten was always drawn to the forest, but now she might know why.
Relationships: Hyuuga Neji & Tenten
Kudos: 4
Collections: Naruto Fantasy Week 2020





	Of Souls and Songbirds

**Author's Note:**

> This is my contribution to the first day 2020 Naruto Fantasy Week.
> 
> Prompt: Witches & Familiars / Soul Bonds
> 
> I actually had more planned out for this, but I started running out of time. So I figured it was better to have a shorter, finished product, rather than a longer, and later, product. If I find the time I'll come back and continue this a bit, adding the remaining short scenes from my notes.
> 
> Anyways please enjoy.

The Great Forest constituted a significant part of the known world, it spanned hundreds of miles covering most of the continent. Its leafy expanse was halted only by a large and frigid mountain range to the north, a vast and harsh desert to the west, and an ocean of perpetual storms that lay upon its southern and eastern borders. 

At the northernmost point of the forest resided a small village, magic was as rare there as it was plentiful at the forest’s heart. It had been centuries since the last human with the blessing of magic had been born in the humble homes of these farmers. 

Years past. Elders died, young adults married, children grew up, and babies were born. Till one day, a certain babe was born. There was something different about this child though, her mother knew not what it was, but a difference was there.

* * *

  
Tenten grew up as any child of her village did, running wild and carefree. She looked just like her siblings, and just like her cousins, brown hair, brown eyes, skin darkened from a life spent outdoors. She grew up and older, from child to teen to young adult. Still yet, there was something different about her, something only her mother could feel. It was not until the summer of Tenten’s 20th year that the difference was revealed to them.

* * *

  
The day started out like any other summer day, families waking up before dawn to tend to the fields before the heat hit in full. Morning past and the sun slowly approached its highest point, forcing the farmers into the shade of their homes. 

Not Tenten though, odd as it was, despite living next to it all her life, the forest still captivated her. She spent every moment she could walking beneath the mighty boughs of oaks, elms, and birches. 

Today though, she was not walking amongst the trees, but resting beneath them. She had been plagued for weeks by nightmares, nightmares whose creeping black tendrils would leave her encased in a horrible fear every time she woke. Napping in the forest seemed to force the nightmares back, giving her brief moments of reprise. 

It was from such a nap that she awoke when a sharp pain emanated from her face. Tenten opened her eyes and saw-!

Saw a small brown bird standing on her knee.

A long, silent moment passed as Tenten stared at it. Then, it opened its beak and spoke!

“Tenten, we must leave now, there is no time to expl-“ 

“What the hell?!” Tenten shrieked, jumping to her feet and almost flinging the bird across the forest. Instead it darted off her knee in time and landed gently on the forest floor in front of her. It opened its beak to speak again but was cut off by Tenten yelling “No! No! Don’t talk, just- give me a moment!”

The brown-haired girl closed her eyes and look a few breaths to calm her racing heart. When her heartbeat was back to a reasonable pulse, she opened her eyes and stared down at the bird. 

“Okay, okay. Ohh-kay, what are you? Some kind of magical bird?” Magic was such a far-off thing, that sometimes, she forgot it even existed. Without the bedtime stories her mother had told her as a child, she doubted she would even know of its existence. 

The little bird puffed out its chest feathers, “Excuse you! I am not some kind of magic bird! I am Neji of the Hyuuga Clan! Gifted with the best foresight any Hyuuga has had in centuries!”

Tenten stifled a snort, “Okay then, oh Great Neji, why do you know my name? What do you want?”

“That’s why I’ve been trying to tell you! We need to leave this village, now. Unless you want to be the reason for the end of the world!” Neji flittered up by her face again, attempting to herd her deeper into the woods.

“Slow down! You aren’t explaining, you’re demanding. And I demand to know what’s going on.”

Neji yet again landed on the ground, perhaps finally realizing that Tenten would not blindly follow him. “Fine. I’ll only explain this once, so listen carefully. You, have magic.” Tenten began to interrupt with a question on her lips, but the magic bird stopped her with an angry chirp. “Quiet! Let me finish! Your magic is the ability to bind souls together. There has not been a Soul Witch in many, many centuries, since before The City At The Center Of The Forest, Konoha, was built. Your appearance can only mean one thing, something is brewing. Good or bad, miracle or calamity, I don’t know. But what I’ve foreseen shows you traveling through the Great Forest, helping people, but ever running from something chasing at your heels.”

Tenten took time to think as Neji finished his explanation. One thought stuck to the front of her mind. “What do you mean bind souls?”

“You can use your magic to tie the soul threads of people together, typically an animal familiar such as myself, and a human witch like yourself. The two bound together can share each other’s powers and mana reserves.”

“How do you know all this?” Tenten asked, feeling a tad bit overwhelmed.

“I’ve seen it.”

“But I thought you said it’s been centur-“ Tenten cut herself off, “The power of foresight, right.”

She let out a sigh and again sat down. “So, what now? You want me to leave on this crazy quest, and I don’t want to leave. This place is my home.”

Neji gave her the darkest look she’s ever received, “Don’t act like you aren’t drawn to the forest. Leaving this place is your destiny, and destiny is inescapable.”

It was true, she always found herself at the forest when her emotions ran high. The other children had always been frightened by the trees that grew so tall they blocked out the sun. Tenten though felt like a new person every time she stepped into the forest, perhaps her magic was the reason she felt that way.

“Okay. I’ll do it.”


End file.
